With less than one month until the World Cup, Goldman Sachs presents its fourth World Cup Report (look at the bottom of the link for the adobe report). Goldman solicits the opinions of its worldwide client base for predictions about the World Cup. The authors of the report include bankers and diplomats of international recognition. The report combines analysis of the games with the economics of the various countries. There are also discussions of world cup bids, Euro-2012 and more. The report is a fascinating combination of finance and sports from one of the world’s most prominent companies. The report is lengthy, but worth the read.

The Revs may have invited Benefica to Foxboro as a way to increase interest in the franchise, but as the Boston Ultras blog notes, they are also working with local pizza staple Papa Ginos on a ticket promotion. The promotion offers Revs’ fans opportunities to accumulate points at Papa Ginos to use for discount tickets to select Revs games. This is a smart promotion for the Revs as it builds brand awareness through a company that is widely recognized in the Boston area.

Finally, the draw for the CONCACAF Champions League was held and MLS teams involved include Los Angeles, RSL and Seattle. The first time appearance of some of these teams will make for an iteresting study of attendance interest. MLS is trying to improve its performance in this tournament, but fans support has lagged. There is a strong liklihood that fans in Seattle and Salt Lake City will turn out in fairly strong numbers for these games. Will it impact the result on the field?